By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While the Philadelphia Phillies figure out who they might sign for the 2019 season, two members of its club are still partaking in the back-end of 2018 action, albeit overseas in the 2018 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.
Rhys Hoskins and Carlos Santana each saw action in the seven-game exhibition series opener Thursday against the Yomiuri Giants at the Toyko Dome, under manager Don Mattingly on the MLB All-Stars roster. The MLB All-Stars won, 9-6, despite committing four errors in the field. None of the errors were committed by Santana.
.@rhyshoskins sigue dando palazos no importa donde sea. 💪💥#LosPhillies | #JapanAllStarSeries pic.twitter.com/GgWkvlQsJa
— Phillies de Filadelfia (@losphillies) November 8, 2018
Santana started the game as the MLB All-Stars' leadoff hitter, while Hoskins pinched-hit and remained in the game for Yadier Molina as the designated hitter in the fourth. Santana struck out swinging twice and looking once, singled, and grounded out among his five plate appearances. Hoskins, meanwhile, walked once and grounded out twice among his three plate appearances, batting second behind Santana.
Three more Tokyo games will occur (Nov. 9-11), followed by one game at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima (Nov. 13), and two games at Nagoya Dome in Nagoyoa (Nov. 14-15). The exhibition series will be broadcast live on MLB Network starting on Friday, and is the 37th time that MLB players have toured Japan, with the first occurrence dating back to 1908.
Santana competed for Major League Baseball during the last Japan tour in 2014, while a member of the Cleveland Indians.
